Writing this feels very strange, not gonna lie. I somehow feel my opinions of this genre might be valued somewhat, seeing as I am a homosexual female myself. Funnily enough, most people who know this usually put two and two together and then jump to the conclusion that I must love watching yuri anime. Or shoujo-ai anime, which I guess is still yuri, but more focused on the romance side of things? More… Argh, I’ll get to this further down.
Firstly, I’ll put it out there that I liked anime way before I realised my sexuality, and even after finding out what it was, the genre still didn’t attract me in the way slice-of-life or adventure animes get me hyped. I think up until then the only anime I’d watched focused around a gay relationship was a yaoi called Love Stage! that I hadn’t found all that compelling.
From the outside, when I occasionally came across yuri anime pictures whilst scrolling through Google, you usually either got one of the following two things: a really cute looking anime or a slightly more sexualised looking anime, complete with cute girls blushing. Then, you go back and take a closer look, and you realise that both images are from the same anime. Uhm. Quite frankly, I was petrified of what I might see if I watched any of them. (Of course not every ‘cute’ anime which features yuri undertones also has a more sexual side of things. It’s just, well, quite a lot of them do).
After watching a few animes I enjoyed, I went back and analysed them more closely, and found that in quite a lot of anime, you can discover a handful of yuri undertones in any of them. Some of them were quite cute, and I felt I could definitely root for those couples (even though the romance never really blossomed, or one of them ended up with the main guy or something. Yeah). So, I decided. I’d watch a couple yuri’s, see what all the fuss was about.
These dorks, though.
I can’t remember what the first yuri I ever watched was called, unfortunately, because I dropped it quite soon after starting it. I remember the first thing I thought, though: “I don’t think this anime is aimed at me.” That confused me a whole lot. Why could I not find any enjoyment in watching something that’s such a deep rooted part of me portrayed in one of my favourite artistic mediums? I think I went and watched some of Akuma no Riddle, which, while slightly enjoyable because the main girl’s pretty badass, it just fuelled my suspicions further. This wasn’t made for someone like me to enjoy. This is hot girls waltzing about, making out for no apparent reason whatsoever, and usually finding themselves in situations where — oh my God — the sexual tension is like– it just makes me want to pause the video and scream into a pillow.
It’s aimed at men. It’s some fantasised version of what the male demographic find would be a hot girl on girl relationship. It was painful to sit through some of those scenes, and definitely made me personally feel very, very uncomfortable. Why couldn’t I find an anime that was accurate? Why couldn’t I find a yuri relationship with some actual meaning and substance to it? Apparently, though I haven’t watched any yet, shoujo-ai is supposed to depict non-explicit lesbian relationships, so I guess I could check those out at some point. Still isn’t really an excuse for what most yuri’s promote, though, in my eyes. A lesbian relationship is not just some sort of toy that should be used as a turn-on for males. And, no, I’m not blaming men in any way, shape or form. I’ve actually heard and been very thankful that most men also find what yuri showcases to be… well, not an accurate representation of a what a homosexual relationship is like. I’m blaming the companies that clearly make these only for the money, who put no thought into what they’re saying or trying to convey, and who simply make animes like these because they know they’ll get views from guys.
I’m sure that some of the guys who watch this stuff actually have the bad connotations and meanings go straight over their head. Not because they’re stupid, but because most straight men probably don’t exactly understand or have little knowledge of what a homosexual relationship is like, because they’ve never been part of one. Plus, the companies that make this are very clever, and no doubt can string in things that would go straight over somebody’s head without closer scrutinisation. (It’s important to be aware that, despite popular belief, homosexuality is still far from being properly accepted in Japan, and is still treated somewhat as a joke. It’s also important to be aware that Japan is a mostly male-dominated society, though I believe things are changing. Hopefully. So naturally what you see in most yuri anime is what men want to see. Made by men for men — for the most part).
I’m not saying it’s wrong to watch yuri’s like the ones I’m describing. I’m not saying you’re a bad person if you do. I’m not shaming anyone. I’m just saying that this needs to be kept in mind: whilst watching media, it’s perfectly possible to enjoy it whilst subsequently also being aware of its more… inaccurate aspects, for lack of a better word. Basically, try not to be ignorant. If you go around believing that everything you see in media are accurate representations of something in real life, you’ll no doubt offend someone along the way — whether it’s intentional or not.
My feelings of joy when watching Sakura Trick, alongside my disbelief that it actually existed.
So, let’s take a breather. Now that I’ve been through some reasons why yuri isn’t my favourite romance genre ever, let’s take a look at a yuri anime I actually enjoyed, just for being different than all the rest. Sakura Trick is by far my favourite of the lot. Why? Because, despite having the usual bit of fanservice, I can forgive it for the most part because Haruka and Yuu actually have a meaningful relationship. They’re not just two random cute girls making out. They support each other. Haruka just wants Yuu to be happy, usually putting her own feelings aside to make just that happen. Yuu, over time, becomes more comfortable with Haruka, and sheds some of her more passive characteristics. That’s natural character development. The show actually has some very laugh-out-loud moments as well, as well as plenty of adorable ones.
So, overall, I’m not a huge fan, which is disappointing, seeing as the genre could be so much more, and so much better. However, a few gems like Sakura Trick will no doubt be hanging around, which is a refreshing sight. Hopefully it’s evidence that the genre is changing for the better, though I believe it’ll still take a while from here.
Also, note how I haven’t really mentioned yaoi at all. Although I still believe most yaoi has its inaccuracies, I believe it has different problems. It usually appeals to a female fanbase who find it to be very ‘cute’ rather than anything else, so, for now, I believe yuri to be in a more fragile place that I really hope it moves out of. Maybe I’ll make a post about yaoi sometime in the future, though I’d have to watch more yaoi animes… so who really knows when I’ll get around to that.
Thanks for reading my rant! I wrote a lot more than I planned to, oops! All images are from the anime Sakura Trick, respectively. Kaida signing off!
I died here. RIP me.
Little Dragon Reviews 